Memento Mori
by Suni Daughter of Moro
Summary: Memento Mori is a Latin phrase which means "Remember you must die." Hiei has been given his last day back to live all over again with only one provision - "Memento Mori," she said.


_Memento Mori_

A sword slipped from bloody hands and fell to the rocky earth with a great clamor. An all too familiar sound reached his ears and a sharp pain shot through his stomach. Hiei looked down at the sword he was now impaled on and coughed up blood.

"I'm going to die," Hiei thought to himself, eyes wide in disbelief. "If I had known today would be my last, I -- If only I could live this day again, I would--."

"You would what?" he suddenly saw a woman before him who he had never seen before. It certainly was not the one who had slain him. This woman was much fairer and her eyes gleamed as if the light shone within them instead of upon them. She could not be real. "I can give you this day back. You can relive this day. You must remember one thing however: Memento mori."

There was a bright flash of light and Hiei suddenly found himself perched in the tree outside Kurama's house, where he had been sleeping that very morning. He looked himself over - no wounds. Was it just a dream?

No. He had felt that pain. Pain did not exist in dreams. It had been real.

The window opened and Kurama smiled at him from within the frame, "Why, hello Hiei. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Hiei froze. He had really been given the day to relive. That was - word-for-word - the same way Kurama had greeted him on the yesterday that was today. Hiei had no idea how it had occurred but he was going to take advantage of it.

"Are you busy, Kurama?" Hiei asked. Kurama backed away from the window and Hiei came inside.

"No but why do you ask? You never bother to ask if I'm busy," Kurama responded.

Hiei sat down on his bed and glared up at him intently, "Never mind that. You really aren't busy, though, Kurama?"

"No," Kurama walked over to sit in the chair at the desk halfway across the room. "What has you so distraught, Hiei?"

"I'm not distraught," Hiei insisted. Silence fell and Kurama turned to page through his textbook again. Hiei suddenly remembered the last words that had been said to him. "Kurama, do you know the meaning of the phrase memento mori?"

"I believe I saw that in the back of my literature textbook the other day. Let me see," Kurama pulled out said textbook from one of the desk drawers and paged through. He found the term in the back of the book and skimmed through the explanation. "Term used… writers who… Ah, here we are. Memento mori is a Latin phrase that literally means--."

Kurama stopped and his emerald eyes went wide in terror. Hiei blinked once, then twice, and finally prodded him on, "What does it mean?"

"Remember… you must die…" Kurama turned back to the crimson-eyed demon sitting on his bed. "Hiei, where did you hear this? Are you in some sort of trouble?"

"Forget it. I was just curious," Hiei shook his head. He refused to trouble Kurama with his upcoming demise. Kurama's life was complex enough; he had enough to worry about.

Hiei looked out the window and sighed. "Kurama…"

"What is it, Hiei?" he asked.

"Meet me at five o'clock at the bridge in the park." There was a quick flicker of black and Hiei was gone.

Within minutes, Hiei had tracked down Kuwabara and set himself before the human. He stood there and waited for Kuwabara to start it all.

"What the hell do you want, shrimp?" Kuwabara asked smugly.

"I need to talk to you." Hiei glared at Kuwabara's little group of friends, "Alone."

Kuwabara motioned that it was okay and the other boys backed off.

"I don't have a great deal of time left so let's get straight to the point - I have two things to ask of you."

"And why would I do anything for you?" he demanded.

"I'm going to die today," Hiei informed him bluntly, surprising him to no end. "Consider it a last request."

"You're dyin'?" Kuwabara blinked. "Man, I'm sorry."

"I don't need your sympathy. My first request is that you keep it to yourself. I'll tell everyone who needs to know on my own. Now, can your idiotic mind comprehend and complete that simple command?"

Kuwabara was still too shocked to retort with his on barrage of insults. "Yeah. What else do you need?"

"First, we have been keeping a secret from you. It has to do with Yukina," Hiei looked off into the distance. "Do you remember her mentioning a long-lost brother?"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"He stands before you now," Hiei glared up with a keen intensity directly into Kuwabara's eyes. "My request - which I make as her brother - is that you take care of her and keep her happy and safe. I don't know why, but I can tell she has a special attachment to you. You will protect her, won't you?"

"Of course. Leave it to me."

"For the first time in my life… I am actually trusting you. Screw it up and I'll haunt you to your pitiful human grave and beyond."

Kuwabara was about to respond when Hiei disappeared.

Hiei rushed off to Genkai's temple and sat himself in a tree beside the pond. Across the water, Yukina sat on a bench, feeding the fish and a bird that had perched itself on her shoulder. Hiei paused to observe for only a few seconds and then flashed across the pond to stand behind the bench.

The bird flew off and the fish swam away. Yukina reached out helplessly, "Wait!" She realized the futility in her efforts and her head drooped.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare them off," Hiei spoke up.

"Hiei, hello! You-you surprised me," Yukina gasped, placing her hand to her heart.

"I have a far greater surprise for you," Hiei sat down beside her. "I know who your brother is."

"You do?" Yukina asked excitedly, taking his one hand in both of hers. "Who is he?"

"You're looking at him," Hiei answered.

Yukina embraced him tightly and began to cry, "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't intend to tell you at all," Hiei admitted. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her. "I… want to make it up to you. I have until five o'clock. Let's spend the day together. Just please don't cry."

Hiei spent the entire day giving in to Yukina's every want. He wanted to do everything he could for her before he died. He drank the tea she made him, answered all of her questions, and even went out with her to tend to the animals in the woods around the temple.

He wanted to say no; he wanted to tell her that his presence would only scare the animals away. However, he also wanted to make her happy and that want was far greater.

They went out into the woods together with two containers of food. Hiei carried the heavier one for Yukina despite her protests that she could handle both containers on her own. After standing in the clearing for some time, they began to see all sorts of animals.

Hiei had been right in his assumptions. Most of the animals seemed afraid of him. However, he felt something brush against his leg and looked down to find a little fox cuddling up against his foot.

"He likes you," Yukina giggled. Hiei smirked softly in return and then shot a forlorn look up at the sky. The sun was nearly to the three o'clock position. He had only two hours left before he had to leave Yukina to see Kurama.

Kurama… what would he say to _him_? Hiei had no idea what he was going to say. That was probably why he only left himself fifteen minutes to talk to Kurama before he was to go and die.

"Hiei, we're finished here. Would you like to head back?" Yukina asked, snapping Hiei out of his deep, depressing thoughts.

"I'll worry about that later. This is my time with Yukina," Hiei thought as he nodded.

The two headed back to the temple where they sat and talked a bit more. Yukina was not as questioning as before, saying more about herself than asking Hiei about himself. Hiei liked it better that way, though she did broach some painful subjects for him with her questions, such as how he got the Jagan eye and why he grew up apart from her. He artfully responded without remembering too much of the pain but it still hurt him to talk about those things.

Hiei looked up to find the sun again. It was four thirty. There was only half an hour left.

"Yukina," Hiei said, accidentally interrupting her in mid-sentence, "I'm… going away for quite some time. If there's anything you really wanted to do, now would be the time."

"Well, Kazuma-san offered to take me tomorrow but I was hoping maybe you could take me today. You see, there's a festival this week, for the cherry blossoms. Would you go with me, please?" Yukina asked timidly. She knew Hiei hated associating with the humans but she really wanted him to go with her. Hiei loathed humans but he would mix with them if it was what his sister wanted.

"All right," Hiei consented. Yukina rushed off to change into her kimono.

Hiei only had fifteen minutes left to spend with Yukina by the time they arrived at the festival. Yukina bought some cotton candy and then led Hiei over to a tree. The two sat down under the tree.

"Here," Yukina picked off a piece of the cotton candy and handed it to Hiei.

Hiei took it and studied it for a minute.

"You're supposed to eat it, silly," Yukina giggled. Hiei promptly placed the cotton candy carefully in his mouth. The taste was definitely new to him and not entirely good but he could easily stomach it if Yukina wished it. Yukina sighed, staring up at the falling pink petals. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

He looked up and responded, "Yeah."

"Do you really have to go away, Hiei?" Yukina asked, pulling off a piece of cotton candy for herself. She then picked off another piece for Hiei. He ate it.

"Yes. I'm afraid I must."

"For how long will you be gone?" Yukina asked worriedly.

"I… don't know," Hiei answered, looking at his sister's troubled face, "but please don't cry."

Yukina nodded, sighing again, "It's five o'clock now. I guess… this is goodbye?"

"Yes it is," Hiei said. He pulled a small, tri-folded, sealed paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. "I wrote this at Genkai's while you were changing. It's for you. Only open it once the clock strikes five thirty, understood?"

Yukina nodded, tucking the letter away in the folds of her kimono. "I understand. Goodbye Hiei."

"Before I go," Hiei said, "I want to ask one more thing of you."

"What is it, Hiei?" Yukina asked.

"Please, address me as brother just once," he beseeched.

"All right then… brother," Yukina smiled.

"Goodbye, sister. I'll see you again one day, I promise," Hiei stood.

"Then we should not say goodbye," Yukina suddenly decided, shaking her head. "I'll see you later, brother."

Hiei smiled at her for a second and then disappeared into the night. Within minutes, he had raced across the park to the bridge where he was to meet Kurama. It was time to decide what to say. Kurama would be there shortly.

"Were you waiting long?" Kurama called. Hiei turned to see Kurama smiling amusedly. "Such a shame… I was trying to arrive early."

"Well, I don't blame you," Hiei folded his arms across his chest with an angry scowl. "After all, that human body has to be pitifully slow."

"Well, I suppose… to each his own," Kurama scratched his head. "So, why did you ask me to come out here to meet you tonight, Hiei?"

Hiei sat down on the railing of the bridge and Kurama came over to stand beside him. The little demon looked up to the sky emptily.

"I went to see Yukina. I told her everything," he said.

"You told her that you were her brother?" Kurama gaped.

"She was so happy. We spent the day together and though she asked me some painful questions and made me go to the human festival… I enjoyed it. I enjoyed… being a big brother… for just one day…"

"Well, that's good. I hope you know that one cannot be a big brother for just one day; she is going to look to you from now on."

"No," Hiei shook his head. "She'll look to Kuwabara." He paused momentarily, "For, at the stroke of five thirty, I will be dead."

"What?" Kurama stared. Hiei could see the dread in his eyes and the pain... the incredible pain that lit up in his eyes… "Hiei, what is going on?"

"I was impaled on a sword. I was going to die. Then, this strange woman appeared and offered me a chance to live my last day over; to live it like I would knowing it was my last day."

"Hiei, I--"

"Sh, don't speak. I have a great deal to say and not much time. I decided… it would be best this way."

Kurama opened his mouth but no words came to mind. He simply stood silently by as Hiei continued.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way but I have to die today. It was my destiny. Believe me - I would avoid it if I could. I'm ashamed to leave it this way but I have no choice."

Before he could ask Hiei what he meant by that, Kurama felt Hiei's lips pressed against his own. It was brief and Kurama easily realized it was an awkward event for Hiei but it had indeed happened. He was sure of that.

Kurama let the air escape him weakly as he stared in awe at the red-eyed demon perched on the railing before him.

"I regret leaving it like this," Hiei reiterated, "but I felt about you… feelings I… never felt for anyone else and I could not die without first expressing those feelings. I realize that - with what I have just done - this parting is going to be far more painful for you but please remember…"

Hiei leaned his forehead to Kurama's and smirked, "This is not a time to say goodbye; this is a time to say I'll see you later."

Kurama felt Hiei brush quickly against his lips once more and then Hiei vanished. Kurama collapsed against the railing, letting the tears gush from his eyes like floodwaters from the skies. For the rest of his life, Kurama would return to that same spot on that very day and shed a few more tears. When asked why, his simple response was, "No matter how many times I cry for him, it never seems to be enough tears shed."

A sword slipped from bloody hands and fell to the rocky earth with a great clamor. An all too familiar sound reached his ears and a sharp pain shot through his stomach. Hiei looked down at the sword he was now impaled on and coughed up blood.

Hiei closed his eyes, feeling unusually calm despite the pain. "At least… Kurama knows now… how I felt about him."

The bell in the clock tower above struck once. It was half past five now.

"Yukina… she must be reading that letter about now…" Hiei murmured to himself as he fell to the ground. He died seconds later.

Several miles away, Yukina had indeed opened the letter. Yusuke and Kuwabara were visiting Genkai at the time and she burst into the room, her eyes watering considerably.

"Listen!" Yukina shouted out, her voice wavering. " 'By the time you are to read this, I will be dead. Please don't cry for me. As I promised, I will see you again one day. Until that day, be strong, my dear sister, and do not cry for me. I don't want to see those tears. Your Brother, Hiei."

Yukina couldn't help it. She fell to the floor and before she could control herself again, she had shed two tears. When she realized she had gone against her brother's wishes, she wanted to cry even more but she remained strong and choked down the tears as he requested.

Kuwabara walked over and held her in his caring arms, "Don't worry. Things will be all right."

Above, Hiei's spirit hovered over Genkai's temple. "'All right'? Feh."

"Were you able to make your last day what you wanted it to be, Hiei?" the woman from before asked him, appearing from seemingly nowhere.

"If I could have caused no pain to them, I would have preferred it that way," Hiei admitted, turning his back on the temple, "but some things are just inescapable."

Hiei floated off and disappeared into the darkness of the night sky never to return.


End file.
